Le Coq

Not content with having two bars from his native England in the list, Tony Conigliaro adds his latest international project in the form of Le Coq. Contrary to common perception, the most famous Le Coq in Paris is not Dominique Strauss-Kahn, it is the Lecoq school where illustrious actors such as Steven Berkoff and, more recently, Toby Jones attended. So Conigliaro's bar is in good company, by name at least. Added to which he is collaborating with French drinks industry pioneers Eric Fossard and Thierry Daniel. The trio have created a bar in the Château d'Eau that is lightly themed with 70s art and music, with a rather large Marianne Faithfull adorning a wall. As is de rigueur with Conigliaro, the concept is about what goes in your mouth rather than your eyes and ears, so the 70s theme is not as important as the influences on the menu. Here we see how Conigliaro's native concepts have become bedfellows with French fancies. A fig leaf syrup has made its way across the Channel from Conigliaro's lab and sits next to the likes of chartreuse and liqueur d'ambrette. Across the menu both cultures get their dues in more extraordinary flavour fusions. It's Wiggo in a glass. Indeed, the French and English have not been on better terms since... Well, they've never been on better terms.